


Hot Goss

by insominia



Series: Domestic Wasteland Fluff [2]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Gossip, Implied Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-29 08:32:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15725754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insominia/pseuds/insominia
Summary: Every so often Hancock and Irma get together to spill about the Commonwealth, this time Amari needs to know what they know...Originally on NFKM





	Hot Goss

**Author's Note:**

> Originally here https://newfalloutkinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/1168.html?thread=223888#cmt223888
> 
> Based on the prompt: Hancock and Irma, as a result of their positions in Goodneighbor and Commonwealth society, know all of the best gossip. When they have a night off and they're both in town, they get together and share all of the that juicy juicy Wasteland gossip. Who lost their favorite 10mm pistol because they actually thought they could beat Nick Valentine at poker? Is the SoSu sleeping sleeping with a certain companion or not? Who accidentally snapped a raider's neck when they fell from a rusted fire escape in the middle of battle?

It was Tuesday. Specifically, the second Tuesday of the month. That meant Mayor Hancock would be finding his way to the Memory Den after the last of their clients had left. Doctor Amari had spent most of the day setting up the system so it would go on the fritz just before he arrived. Irma wouldn't dream of sending Amari home with the system down, or at least that's what she was banking on. She'd even spent the last few days mentioning a random glitch, the occasional error, so when it all inevitably crashed Irma wouldn't be caught completely off guard.   
  
By the time Hancock swaggered into the Memory Den not one of the loungers was working and Irma had spent a full ten minutes apologising profusely that Amari would have to stay. She grumbled and complained, muttering about some pretended plans that would have to be cancelled and with a weary sigh agreed to have the system up and running by the morning.   
  
"Evening sweetheart," Hancock said, jovially, dropping a platonic kiss on Irma's forehead. He settled himself at the end of her chez lounge, brandishing a bottle of wine at her, though he'd be sticking to the harder stuff for himself.   
  
"Why mayor Hanock, what a surprise," Irma smiled, as though the meeting were entirely coincidental.   
  
Hancock caught sight of Amari, busying herself on a terminal, tapping relentlessly, "hey there, doc." Amari kept her eyes on the screen as though she were too engrossed to have heard him.  
  
"You'll have to forgive the good doctor," Irma said, "we seem to be having some ah- technical issues." Amari didn't look up, as far as they'd be concerned she was getting on with her work and they could carry on as normal, as though the doctor were not listening to every single word.  
  
"Y'know Valentine's in town if you wanted him to take a look at it," Hancock said, casually, lighting up a cigarette. Amari tensed, Valentine wasn't familiar with the system but it would hardly take a genius to see that there was nothing actually wrong.   
  
"No no, it's quite alright, there's no one I trust more than Doctor Amari. Besides, there's no one who knows the system better. Isn't that right, dear?" Irma called over. This time Amari glanced up, pretending to have been interrupted.  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"Never mind," Irma chuckled, "you carry on." She poured herself a glass of the wine while Hancock was content to swig whatever it was he was drinking from the bottle. "So," Irma began, "your walking icebox left Valentine here?"  
  
"Yup, took off with the mutt and MacCready this morning."  
  
"Oh you poor dear," Irma sighed, sympathetically, but her tone didn't match the excessive grin painted on her lips, "and after the two of you were getting along so  _well_."  
  
Hancock didn't answer, though his scowl spoke volumes.   
  
"Oh don't play coy with me, dear. It's obvious, I mean it wasn't for nothing that you just upped and left the way you did and dear Valentine told me all about how you and  _Ice_  ended up weathering out that radstorm...just the two of you, not much room in that shack was there..."  
  
"I thought you'd be more interested in those guys who came 'round asking after MacCready," Hancock interjected, cutting her off. "All dead," he added, realising Irma was looking expectantly at him, "all of them. My  _walking icebox_ took care of them."  
  
"Ah, so that's why MacCready's walking with a spring in his step!"  
  
"He refunded his fee too," Hancock muttered.  
  
Irma exclaimed so hard she almost dropped her glass, "Robert Joseph MacCready working for free?! Well, well your Ice surely has a way with people."  
  
Amari had moved to a broken lounger, fiddling with some wires to give the appearance of activity. The pit in her stomach was growing with every word they exchanged. They'd mention it. They would. They couldn't not and a little thing like her presence wouldn't stop them. It rarely did. She was surprised they hadn't opened with it.   
  
"Speaking of things I'd never thought I'd see," Irma continued, smiling, slyly. Amari almost dropped her wrench, this was it. But instead, Irma said, "that bodyguard of yours has an admirer.”   
  
Hancock cackled over his bottle, "don't tell me, Frank finally grew a pair and stopped falling over himself every time she walked by."   
  
"Actually, I spied that Brotherhood  _friend_ of yours trying to get her attention."  
  
Hancock spat a mouthful of whisky - it was whisky, after all, Amari noted, onto the floor. "That walking crew cut?! And my Fahr?!"   
  
Irma chuckled, "they can't stand each other of course, so naturally you could cut the tension between them with a knife."   
  
"She'll eat him alive for breakfast!"  
  
"Oh come now, we've seen more mismatched couples, remember KLE-O and that trader?"  
  
"Yeah but I'm pretty sure KLE-O  _did_ eat him alive for breakfast."  
  
Doctor Amari was starting to breathe a little easier, they hadn't mentioned it...maybe she was safe after all? And Fahrenheit with that Brotherhood fellow?! That was unexpected to say the least, she stopped tapping the console for a few moments just to listen in. But the two of them moved on from Fahrenheit's love life to discussing practically everyone in Goodneighbor.  
  
It had been over an hour before Amari realised that if she dragged the "repairs" out just to listen to them chat about their acquaintances it might look odd, even if she was suddenly and inexplicably interested in hearing what Magnolia had gotten up to last Saturday and who with... It took just a flick of a switch to restore the system. The lights in the memory loungers clicked on and Irma gave a delighted sigh, "Oh Amari, how wonderful."   
  
"We shouldn't have any problems for a while," Amari said, feigning irritation. She stepped from the Memory Den giving every indication that she couldn't wait to be gone, maybe her plans could still be salvaged after all? From where they were neither Hancock no Irma could see Amari's smile, she was in the clear, evidently, her secret was safe.  
  
Hancock and Irma were silent for a moment, broken when Hancock took an awkward swig of whisky. "So...the doctor..."  
  
Irma laughed, "Oh Hancock, the whole Commonwealth is talking about it but they don't know the half of it..."


End file.
